Network Packet Brokers

What is a Network Packet Broker (and why do you need one)?

WHAT IS A NETWORK PACKET BROKER (NPB)?

The diagram below shows how an NPB receives data from a number of network links. It then acts as a “broker”, ensuring the relevant data is sent to the right tool.

PROBLEM

As your network continues to grow physically and virtually and speeds increase up 100 Gig it has become increasingly difficult to ensure that all your security and monitoring tools see and receive the real-time traffic that they need to analyze.

These tools need to know exactly what is happening on the network, and are only as good as the data they receive.

SOLUTION - A VISIBILITY ARCHITECHTURE

The challenge is to ensure each tool see’s the traffic that it needs to. Using a combination of Taps, Bypass Switches and packet brokers we can set up a visibility architecture that sits between the IT infrastructure and the tools which gives you access to all the traffic traversing the virtual and physical links.

NPB USES

• Data from one network link, to one tool

• Data from one network link, to multiple tools – Regeneration

• Data from multiple network links, to one tool - Aggregation

• Data from multiple network links, to multiple tools

• Load balance traffic among all your tools

HOW NPB's BENEFIT YOU

Ultimately, NPBs make monitoring and security tools more effective, by giving them access to a range of data from across the entire network. Blind spots are reduced, giving tools the visibility they need to identify and tackle performance and security threats.